Hand-steered, wheeled, convertible cultivator and planter



v M. HUDGENS. HAND STEERED, WHEELED, CONVERTIBLE CULTIVATOR AND PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, I920- 1,418,262.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

iii/9.1. '5

Patented May 30, 1922.

I I Movroejfizdgggw E.

ATTORNEY WITNESSP-q M. HUDGENS. HAND STEERED, WHEELED, CONVERTIBLECULHVATOB AND PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILEDJUNE 15, 1 920. 1,418,262.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I ATTORNEY WITNESS? I Patented May 30, 1922.

M. HUDG ENS. HAND STEERED, WHEELED, CQNVERIIBLE CULTIVATOR AND PLANTER.

I APPLICATION FILED JUNE I5, 1920. 1,418,262.

Patented May 30, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- M. HUDGENS. HAND STEERED, WHEELED, CONVERTIBLECULTIVATOR AND PLANTER.

APPLI CATION FILED JUNE 15. 1920. v 1,418,262. Patented May30, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Mon roelTudgen 3 VENTOR MONROE HUDG-ENS, OF COOKEVILLE, TENNESSEE;

HAND-STEEREID, WHEELED, CONVERTIBLE CULTIVATOR AND PLANTER.

Application filed June 15,

capable of being easily steered by the hand of the driver, and embodyinsuch a, construction that it is light of draftgis not likely hereinafterexplicitly vreferred to.

- their function to brace to be choked with trash, andis generally welladapted to withstand the usage to which wheeled cultivatorsare-ordinarily subjected.

Another object is the provision of a wheeled construction susceptible ofbeing readily '.converted from a cultivator to'a planter and vice versa.

To the attainment of the foregoing the invention consists in theimprovement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, hereby made a part hereof: v I

Figure 1 is a plan view of a' cultivator constructed in accordance withmy invention. .Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same;

Figure '3 is a front elevation.

Figure 4; is a side elevation. I

Figures 5 and 6 are detail views of parts Figure 7 is a plan viewshowlng the wheeled construction as equipped to form a two row planter.v Figure 8 s a sideelevatlon ofthe same.

Similarnumeralsdesignate corresponding arts in Figures willfirstbehad. 1

Among other elements my novel cultivator comprises a main frame 1, anaxle 2 and ground wheels 3. The main frame 1 is of general U-shape inplan, with the blght of the loop foremost and the ends thereof connectedto the axle, it being understood in this connection that the 'main frameis arranged forward of the axle. The said main frame 1 includes upperand lower; bars 4, bolts 5v connecting the same, and tubular sections 6mounted on the bolts '5 and interposed between the bars 4 and having forthe bars and to maintain the same in spaced relation. The axle 1 to 6,to which reference 2 2 includes a horizontal intermediate portion,

pendent portions integral with the ends of Specification of LettersPatent. Patented May 30, 1922,

1920. Serial No. 389.169.

the intermediate portion and spindles extending outwardly from the saidpendent portion, the ground wheels 3 being mounted on the said spindlesin the ordinary well known manner.

The cultivator also includes a tongue 7, and a doubletree 8 connected tothe tongue in front of the main frame 1 and equipped with singletrees 9.'At an intermediate point of its length the tongue is pivotallyconnected to the forward portion of the main frame 1, a clip 10 beingdisposed over the tongue and a pivot bolt 11 being extended through theclip 10, the tongue 7 and the forward portion of the main frame 1. Therear end of the tongue 7 is equipped with a rearwardly extendingmetallic bar 12 which is adapted to play between two transverse straps13 that are fixed to the main frame 1 and constitute a race for the bar12 when the rear portion My improved cultivator is designed especiallyto be operated by a man who has lost one or'both legs, and toward thisend I provide for the steering of the cultivator a hand lever 14:. Thesaid hand lever 14 has its handle portion disposed in such proximity tothe drivers seat 15 that the driver is enabled with his hand toconveniently manipulate the lever. From a point to the right and in ahorizontal plane above the drivers seat 15, the steering lever 1 1extends transversely of the cultivator under the beam 16 of the seat 15,and is provided with a bifurcated portion 17 that straddles and ispivotally connected at 18 to one side bar of the main frame 1. From thesaid point of pivotal connection 18, the outer arm of the steeringlever: 14 extends forwardly about the proportional distance illustrated,and is pivotally connected at its forward end to the outer end of thelink or links 19, the inner end or ends of which are pivotally connectedto the rear end of the tongue 7. In order that the operator mayadjustably fix the main frame 1 and the tongue 7 with respect to eachother, 1 provide on one side for cooperation with the said rack, so'thatthe cultivator may be held at the desired angle, for instance onahillside where the is relieved of the necessity of holding thecultivator in working position. The detent 21 is connected to a rod 22inwhich is a disk coupling 23 in which works a cam 24, designed to lockthe detent out of engagement with the rack 20, when desired. 7

At 25 are the beams of the cultivator, two in number, and at 26 areti-shaped bars of whieh there are two to each beam 25. Carriedby andbolted 27 to each pair of bars 26 is a gang of groundavorking devices 28which are preferably in the form of curvilinear spring teeth, asillustrated. The said gangs are right-hand and left-hand, respectively,and in conjunction with each gang is employed a strap 29 that isinterposed between and connected to one end of one bar 26 and is alsopivotally connected at an intermediate point in the length of theadjacent beam 25 as indicated by 29*, Figure Manifestly by reason of theconstruction of :the gangs of ground-working devices or ing forwardportions.

teeth 28, there is no liability of the gangs becoming choked with trash,the S-bars 26 serving to Work the devices of teeth 28 backwardly andforwardly. As illustrated, the beams 25 are provided with upwardlyreach- At 30 are braces on the. beams. It will also be observed thatfixed with respect to and arranged transversely of the forward portionof the main frame 1 is a tubular member 31. The said transverse tubularmember 31 preferably extends between the bars 1; of the main frame, andis disposed and held in shackles 32, each of which has its arms arrangedbetween the frame bars tand connected thereto through the medium of abolt 33 that extends through the upper and lower bars 4 and the arms ofthe shackles as shown. Telescopically arranged in the tubular member 31,and connected thereto by bolts 3% are preferably detachable rod sections35., the outer ends of which are bifurcated, as indicated by 86. Whendesired, each of the rod sections 35 may be provided with a plurality ofapertures for adjustment purposes.

An arch member 37, desi 'ned to hold the n 1 gang of ground-workingdevices together is employed, as best shown in Figure 2. For

,adjustment purposes, the said arch member is preferably provided ineach end portion with a plurality of apertures, so that the gangs ofground-working devices may be positioned at various distances apart.

At 38 are upright springs that actagainst the ends of the arch member topress the plows to the desired extent into the ground.

The said springs ar interposed and maintained between the main frame 1and the end portions of the arch member 37, as illustrated.

The cultivator also includes levers 39 through the medium of whichthegangs of ground-working devices are raised when desired. The said leversare of course hand levers. They extend straight upwardly from the axle,and their lower portions extend forwardly from the axle to the spring40.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a cultivator of theconstruction set forth is susceptible of being operated to advantage andwith ease by a man who has lost either one or both legs.

By reference to Figures 7 and 8, the manher of using the wheeledconstruction described in the formation of a two-row planter will beunderstood, when it is stated that the rod sections 35 before describedare removed from the ends of the tubular member 31. The said rodsections are removed together with the beams 25 and allof the cultivatorparts connected with the said beams 25, and in lieu of the said rodsections 35, I employ, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, rod sections 35*,which rod sections 35 are telescopically arranged in and are connectedto the tubular member 31. The said rod sections 35 have connectedthereto planter beams 25*. Each of the said planter beams 25 is equippedwith a furrow-forming disk and with a seed-box 51, a fertilizer box 52,a ground wheel 53, the usual or any appropriate mechanism operable bythe ground wheel to discharge seed from the box 51'and fertilizer fromthe box 52 and covering devices 54. By placing planter beams 25 equippedas stated, in'the wheeled structure, and connecting the arch member 37to the beams 25*, and arranging the springs in the manner beforedescribed with reference to a cultivator, the structure will beconverted from a cultivator to a two-row planter; it being understood inthis connection that the planter mechanisms are of right and left-handtype, festly the planter mechanisms may be made comparatively light,inasmuch asthe springs may be depended upon to hold the same to theirwork. It will also be manifest that when desired, the machine may beexpeditiously and easily reconverted from a planter into a cultivator.

extending forwardly from the axle, said main frame being of U-shape inplan with the bight of the loop foremost, transverse spaced straps fixedto the main frame in rear of respectively. Mani the forward end thereofand forming between them a raceway, a drivers seat supported on the mainframe, a tongue pivotally connected at an intermediate point in itslength to the forward portion of the main frame, means carried by andextending rearwardly from the tongue and movable in the raceway betweenthe said straps, a hand steering lever arranged in convenient proximityto the drivers seat and fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its lengthto one side portion of the frame and extending forwardly from saidconnection; the major portion of said lever extending from the saidpivotal connection transversely of the main frame, and a connectionbetween the forward portion of the said hand lever and the rear portionof the tongue.

2. A hand steered wheeled construction, comprising an axle, a main frameconnected to and extending forwardly from the axle, wheels on the axle,a drivers seat supported by the main frame, a tongue pivotally connectedat an intermediate point in its length to the forward portion of themain frame, a hand steering lever having its free end or handle portiondisposed at the right of and in convenient proximity to the drivers seatand extending transversely across the main frame and pivotally connectedat an intermediate point in its length to the left-hand side portion ofthe main frame and extenddrivers seat on the main frame, a tonguepivotally connected at an intermediate point of its length to theforward portion of the frame, a horizontal rack carried on the lefthandside portion of the main frame, a horizontal hand steering lever havingits free end portion or handle disposed at the right of the driversseat, said hand lever extending transversely across the main frame andpivotally connected to the left-hand side portion from said point ofconnection, link means connecting the forward portion of said lever andthe rear portion of the tongue, and a detent and detent-operating andcontrolling means carried by the lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MONROE HUDGE NS.

thereof and extending forwardly,

